Toruk: The First Flight
Toruk - The First Flight was a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in December 2015, and was inspired by James Cameron's film Avatar. It depicts a world before the events depicted in the film. The show began its development in Montreal, Quebec, and then moved in August 2015 to the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, Louisiana, where rehearsals took place until the show premiered. The CenturyLink Center was chosen because the massive set of the show did not fit in the Cirque du Soleil studios in Montreal. Plot The translation for the official teaser trailer from the constructed Na'vi language is the following: "I am the last living member of the Anurai clan. When I connect with Eywa, I hear the voices of our distant ancestors; I hear the time when their lives were threatened. This is that story." Toruk is the central character of the show, and will be brought to life as a life-sized puppet, along with Pandoran animals such as the Direhorse, the Austrapede, the Turtapede, and a Viperwolf. Production The Pandorian animals will be brought to life through large-scale puppetry. Toruk itself is a 'reverse string puppet' (handled from the base) while the Austrapede, Turtapede and Direhorse are 'lived-in puppets' (someone is inside) and the Viperwolf is an 'in-view puppet' (the lower half of the puppeteer is outside, becoming a part of the puppet, while his/her upper body is inside the puppet). The set of Toruk is made of inflated rubber and steel, making the huge set easier to transport from city to city. Acrobatic Acts Toruk features 5 speciality acrobatic acts and general tumbling skills in order to capture the other worldly skills of the inhabitants of Pandora. Each tribe has their own unique apparatus and discipline, reflecting their tribal values and skills which Entu and Ralu will need to learn in order to tame Toruk. The following lists the acts, correct as of the first Asia Pacific Tour. Several acts were added following the premier of Toruk, and hence are not included in the official DVD recording. Those featured at the premier (and on the DVD are in italics): *''Tumbling: The young members of the Omaticaya Clan play a unique ball game in which points are scored by diving through giant hoop structures whilst carrying a glowing orb. All the meanwhile the clan members are jumping off and around the surroundings of the Hometree. *Mother Loom''/''Spanish Webs: The Omaticaya Clan performers perform tricks on an angled grid frame in the centre of the hometree. On either side of the loom a performers climb and slide down Spanish Webs. *'Aerial Straps': Entu seeks refuge at the Tree of Voices, swinging on the straps, the tree's branches, to seek comfort from his deceased parents after falling during his initiation ceremony, breaking his ceremonial bow and failing the task. *Aerial Silks: Tsyal climbs up the silk, the stem of the giant flower in the centre of the Tawakami tribe to reach the Tranquil Seed, one of the sacred objects to Entu and Ralu's quest. *'Contortion'/'Hand Balancing: Members of the Anurai Clan demonstrate their balancing skills by manoeuvring over a skeleton (resembling that of Toruk) which is fixed only by a pivot in the middle, tipping and turning all the while. *Chinese Poles: The Tipani, specialists in weaponry, demonstrate their attacking skills on swinging Chinese poles, shaped like spears. *Kites/Boomerang': Nearing their final goal of reaching Toruk, the trio reach the Kekunan Tribe, specialists in flying. Performers manipulate kites, shaped like the wings of the Toruk, whilst one Kekunan throws glowing, three sided boomerangs around the central platform before catching them again, much like horizontal juggling. Music }} #"Omaticaya Clan" #"Lu Aw Navi" #"Shaman Story" #"Tawkami Clan" #"The Anurai Clan Sanctuary" #"Viperwolves and the Tipani Clan" #"Direhorses" #"Kekunan Clan" #"Hallelujah Mountains" #"The Toruk" #"Luminous Reunion" The following tracks are included in the show but are not on the CD: #"Inside Hometree" #"Weaving Song" #"Earthquake!" #"The Vision" #"The Clearing" #"Tree of Voices" #"River & Desert" #"Lava & Flood" #"The First Toruk Makto" Vocalists * Priscilia le Foll - From 2015 to 'Present''' References External links * * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6404142/ Category:Shows Category:Touring Shows